air conditioning - choosing what's right for your family

on 19 November, 2014

When it comes to the design and construction of your new home, there are a lot of things to consider along the way. Choosing the right air conditioner will make a big difference to how much you will enjoy your home over the years to come.

How to compare air conditioners?

It can be easy to compare air conditioners between suppliers and find vastly different prices for the same product. This can be puzzling for those buying their first home, as it would appear that the cheapest option is the best if you are getting the same unit.

However, according to Brad Stinson of Stinson Air, there are a lot of things to consider if you want the best air conditioning solution for your home. It may not be apparent at first glance, but there are a lot of components that go into the installation of an air conditioning unit, including insulate ducting, sheet metal or plastic in roofs, and plenty of clips, hangers and fasteners. There are also plenty of optional extras that could make your system more efficient or suited to your lifestyle.

When choosing an air conditioner, make sure the components used to install it are of top quality too - otherwise you may end up paying more in the long run by having an inefficient or poorly functioning system.

The actual installation is just as important. Mr Stinson recently told apg that poorly installed ducting that hangs over beams and other obstructions will sag over time - losing between 10 and 30 per cent of its effective capacity.

"Even though you might be comparing two air conditioners that are the same, one might only be working at 80 per cent because it was just not installed properly in the first place. This is actually a big industry problem," said Mr Stinson.

For this reason, Stinson Air chooses to have an inspector on site during installation monitoring contractors and helping them to constantly improve their standards.

A consultative approach

It can be hard to know what's right for your new home, especially if you haven't lived in one yet or haven't owned an air conditioner before. That's why Stinson Air recommends a consultative approach. It's important that your supplier understands your needs - a young couple does not need the same cooling power as a family of six.

There are also other aspects to take into account - would you prefer to be more energy efficient, heating or cooling rooms as they are used, or do you prefer to have the whole house kept at the same temperature?

Optional extras that could greatly increase the utility you get out of your unit, such as controlling the air conditioner on your Wi-Fi network, or using the tablet-controller to browse the web or check Facebook, are a great way to get the most out of your unit. And for those long days at the office, followed by a torturous drive home in the heat - you can turn your air conditioner on remotely to enjoy a perfectly cool house when you get home.

According to Mr Stinson, technological advances like this are one of the reasons his company is the number one supplier for apg homes. When it comes to delivering the best air conditioning experience possible, it's important to stay at the forefront of advances in the industry.

"We're often the first to get our hands on those things. We work closely with the people that develop them - we're embracing new technologies as they become available," said Mr Stinson.

Here at apg we know that the WA climate can be demanding, and most people building a new home choose air conditioning, so we have included provisions for ducted air conditioning as standard in all of our designs.

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By providing your email address you are consenting to receive marketing communication for apg Homes in the future, on the understanding you have read and agree to our Privacy and Data Collection Statement and that you can opt-out at any time.